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Kids are always thrilled when it’s summertime, and they get their big summer vacation. Not having to go school, pretty much no homework and most of all they have a lot more time to play.
However, we all know kids are really fickle and get bored very quickly. The first few days of summer vacation are really fun. They love breaking out of their school day schedule and might as well have a number of things planned to engage in during their holidays. But it’s just a matter of time parents start hearing those three dreadful words – “Mom, I am bored.” Therefore, it’s always a good idea to pack a bag full of activities for summertime before the school bells stop ringing.
Squirt Gun Painting can be a fun and inexpensive way to keep boredom away this summer. Kids love colors, and they enjoy games too. Squirt gun painting is a great blend of play, fun, and art.
Getting a nod from your kids for this activity will be a breeze. But before you bring out a copious amount of paint and guns in your backyard, take heart the following tips to make the activity much more entertaining.
What exactly is a squirt gun painting?
Ditch the paintbrush, let your kids revel in a new and much more fun-filled way of painting. Painting with water guns. It is a thrilling art experience that can turn out to be the ultimate boredom buster for your kids.
What will you need to get started?
- Tempera Paint
- Efficient and easy to use water guns
- Water
- Canvas
- Painters tape
- Drop cloth, plastic table cloth or an unusable old sheet
- Watercolor Paper
- Something to hang the watercolor papers
- Something to stir the paint like a fork
- Cups to mix the paint and water together
- A container to keep the squirt guns
- How to find a reliable squirt gun?
Nothing interrupts the fun like a troublesome gun. It’s important to find a safe, reliable and easy to use gun so that the kids can enjoy painting without your continuous supervision. If the kids require help from you every now and then to fill the gun or pull the trigger, it will certainly defeat the purpose of the entire activity. Accordingly, buy a quality squirt gun and look for options that feel robust in built and have triggers that are easy to pull.
Since squirt painting is an activity that children of all age group can easily enjoy, you will also need to consider the age of your kids while choosing the perfect gun. Young children may have a problem with the trigger, therefore a pump squirt gun can be a great alternative. Oftentimes, a simple pistol gun suffices for most art projects.
The reservoir that holds the paint is also an important consideration. Small reservoirs are great for stationary art projects since it keeps the gun lighter and easy to handle. Make sure you check the seal on the reservoir closure to ascertain the quality of the gun and prevent leakages.
About the paint
It’s important to choose bright and vibrant colors that your kids enjoy playing with. More importantly, it’s essential to consider the type of paint which is safe for the kids to play with.
Washable paint is the most reliable option no matter what specific type of paint you use. You never know if the kids will choose to paint the canvas or each other. Washable paint will keep you covered in all situations.
You can also consider a washable tempera paint, which comes in liquid form already. Liquid tempera paint should be mixed with at least equal parts water. Tempera paint is also available in a powdered form that can be directly mixed with water. Read and follow the directions to use printed on the package.
To spruce things up a little further, we suggest you go for making your own watercolors. Not only will it save you money, but will also allow you to keep kids entertained and engaged throughout the activity. All you need to do is get a small plastic tray of different watercolors. Take the colors you like and add them in individual containers. Pour water that is just below boiling point and add it to the container. You can start with half a pint of water for each color. Mix to create liquid paint. You can also store the paint in small plastic condiment containers and use when required.
HOW TO FILL SQUIRT GUNS WITH PAINT?
- Before you start filling the guns, keep in mind that the activity is likely to get messy. Lay a hand towel or plastic tablecloth where you’ll be mixing the colors and filling the gun.
- Fill a cup with paint of your choice and then start pouring water slowly to get your desired consistency. You can take an equal ratio of color and water, or perhaps choose to keep the consistency a bit thicker.
- Use a fork to mix the water and paint and stir well to ensure the paint doesn’t settle at the bottom of the cup.
- Fill the paint mixture in your squirt gun. You can use storage bottles that have nozzles that can easily fit into the reservoir of your squirt guns. Funnels is another alternative to help fill the guns.
- Direct and supervise the children to fill their squirt guns.
- Fill the syringe with the paint mixture.
- Hang the canvas or watercolor paper outside in your backyard.
- Go outside and let the kids enjoy a fun painting session.
Once your kids are done playing with the paint and splashing colors, take down the canvas and let the painting dry. If your kids enjoy painting, it might as well aid their artistic interests. Take a lot of pictures while your kids enjoy playing with paint. You can later transform the images into true artwork with the help of What a portrait. Simply upload your picture online, and you will be delivered a handmade picture right at your doorsteps.
